Sanctity of Dreams
by Santai
Summary: Loki has begun to feature rather prominently in Tony's dreams.
1. Chapter 1

"_There may be no way out of my prison," Loki's voice growled into Tony's ear as he pressed up behind him, forcing the man's chest against the wall, one hand clasping both of Tony's arms above his head, his other sliding along the strip of exposed skin between his shirt and the waist of his jeans, "But there is no escape from me. Tony Stark."_

_He was warm; wearing only a thin linen shirt and trousers. None of the leather armour or golden embellishments that Tony remembered. His body was slim and chest defined against Tony's back, he could feel ribs through the clothes. Yet, the strength with which Loki held him was more than Tony would be able to overcome. _

"_Surely, you should no longer be surprised," Loki whispered smoothly, Tony could _feel_ the grin on the guy's face, "We've been here before."_

_The hand on his waist stroked his skin delicately, easing its way under the line of his trousers. Tony bucked violently at the movement, a vain attempt to escape that served only to amuse his captor. Hot breath brushed against his earlobe as Loki's hand moved lower. _

_Loki chuckled darkly before tutting into his ear, "Such protestations, Mr. Stark. How long will you deny yourself? You, of all people, are no stranger to bending to temptation."_

Tony woke with an incoherent yell, sheets bunched in his fists and a thin sheen of sweat coating his brow. Breathing heavy, laced with the dying remnants of panic, he collapsed back onto his pillow, rubbing the back of his hand across his forehead as he stared up at the ceiling.

That was the fifteenth time now Loki had featured rather prominently in his dreams. And it pissed him off. In the three weeks since the two 'gods' had ascended to wherever it was they came from, the one thing that Tony had wanted to do was forget about them. A feat made almost impossible when his sworn enemy continued to show up in his dreams - nightmares, he corrected himself, they were definitely nightmares. No matter what the bulge in his trousers told him.

With an irritated snort, he rolled onto his side and checked the glowing clock on his bedside table. It was 4:30am. He groaned into his pillow, he would never be getting back to sleep now.

Feeling very much like he assumed Steve had after his first awakening, Tony pushed himself out of his bed and drifted groggily towards the bathroom, hoping a cold shower would help to wake him up a little. As well as shake the lingering memories of the nightmare from his thoughts.

It didn't help.

Once out of the shower, he dressed in a loose top and tracksuit trousers and left his room to the kitchen to make himself a strong coffee.

"Sir, Captain Rogers is in the gym if you were to prefer some company," Jarvis spoke over the intercom.

Tony shook his head silently as he held the mug of steaming coffee under his nose, watching the waking city of New York through slightly narrowed eyes, using the smell of the drink to begin waking himself. Although, apparently, Captain Rogers had already been informed.

"Morning, Tony," Steve greeted, far too cheerily for Tony's liking, as he strolled into the kitchen, "You're up early."

"No shit," he muttered into his mug before lifting it to his lips and taking a mouthful.

At Tony's tone, Steve's mood seemed to reign in and he paused to regard him scrutinising manner, "Again?"

There was silence as Tony licked his lips, trying to remind himself why he had confided in Steve in the first place. Ever since, the guy had been fussing over him constantly, as it was more than usual for Tony to get up and wander around in the night, it was rather frustrating to have Captain America run around after him making sure he was alright.

"It happened again didn't it," Steve pressed, a statement rather than a question, knowing Tony well enough by now to tell when he was properly flustered.

Tony turned quickly, "What does it matter?" he asked forcefully, before seeming to regret his reply and ran a hand through his hair and looked at the floor, "Yes. Ok? It happened again," he muttered feebly, before taking a swig of coffee and moving back to the kitchen counter to busy himself making more.

Steve hesitated, unsure how to respond, "The same thing?

Tony broke away from fiddling with his coffee machine, "Can we not, do this whole therapy thing?" he asked holding his hands up in front of him, "I don't know why I even told you. It's fine."

"Because it's not fine," Steve told him earnestly, "This isn't normal, Tony."

"They're just dreams Steve," Tony replied, going back to his coffee.

"Recurring nightmares involving _Loki_," Steve corrected, a note of annoyance in his voice as Tony refused to accept that there was any worry in this, "There could easily be something more to it."

"Like what?" Tony asked, eyes wide, "Mind-control? Stealing my secrets while I sleep? Steve, the guy is in a different dimension! As powerful as he claimed to be I doubt he could do that. Seriously drop it before I tie you to a chair and put Star Trek on repeat."

Steve glared at him before sighing, "I'm asking Thor later."

Tony blinked and frowned, "I don't think you can telegram Asgard."

Steve rolled his eyes, "No, but if you had listened to anything that Director Fury has been telling us, Thor is coming back later today," he replied, already turning to leave in that irritating habit he had of walking away at the exact moment when he knew Tony wouldn't have a comeback.

Mr Stark simply stood and glowered as the Captain left the room, finishing his coffee in a few burning gulps before heading head off to look for some kind of information as to this apparent godly visit.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve had been right about Thor's return.

However, Tony had done his damnedest to avoid all of them, locking himself in various off limit labs or scurrying around the narrowed back passages that the others knew little of. He was entirely certain that the god already knew, in great detail, Tony's recent problems and Tony was more than happy to avoid confronting them at all costs. If he had to confront them, there was the possibility that there was something more to it than just messed up dreams. And that was a scenario Tony was really not ready to deal with since the only alternative was that it was the real Loki in his head.

He just had to try to drown out the small part of his head that told him that the reason he didn't want to face what was happening was the fear that it might bring the dreams to an end.

He forced that thought to one side as he emerged back in his penthouse from one of the side doors. He certainly did not enjoy them and he certainly did not want them to continue.

"Tony!"

Tony winced as Thor's booming voice echoed into the room as the man stepped out of the main elevator, Steve close behind him.

"Security breach," Tony muttered feebly to himself. The Avengers had long since seemed to have stopped caring about Tony's personal space, coming and going as they pleased.

"How are you faring?" Thor asked, crossing the room in half the number of strides it would have taking anyone else.

Tony flashed a smile, pouring himself a drink from the bar, "Just awesome, I mean, my tower is now only three quarters destroyed, New York got running water again last week," he paused to take a sip of his brandy, "Oh and my home is being used as an Avengers gathering site, to the detriment of my own personal space and comfort. So yeah, things are just peachy."

Thor grinned, "I am glad to hear it!" he announced, as the sarcasm flew right over his head.

"I've told him about your…problem," Steve input as he came to stand beside Thor.

"Of course you have," Tony replied, stepping out from behind the bar and crossing the room to the leather sofas.

"The Captain was right to tell me," Thor informed him, watching as Tony dropped onto one of the seats, facing away from them out across the cityscape, "They are no normal dreams."

Tony waved a hand in the air in sarcastic celebration, "Wonderful."

"I think you need to take this more seriously, Tony," Steve urged, taking the seat opposite him and snatching his gaze, "It's Loki."

"Yes, thank you, I'd got that," Tony responded, rubbing the bridge of his nose and screwing his eyes shut to avoid Steve looking at him, "So what? Loki's sat in a cell somewhere concocting some mind control spell, is that what this is?"

Thor shook his head and joined them, standing beside Steve, "Nothing so theatrical. Loki has the ability to retreat into his mind, which he did not long after our return to Asgard. None have been able to reach him, we assumed he was beyond any contact. Until, Steve spoke of your dreams."

"So the king of crazy got home, went into a coma and decided that my head is a better place to live?" Tony asked, scowling disbelievingly.

"My brother has always been able to enter dreams," Thor told him, "He used to visit mine when we were younger. Though in not quite the same capacity as the Captain says he does with you."

"I should hope not," Tony wrinkled his nose into his drink, still unable to find the amount of concern that the Captain and his giant cohort made him feel like he should.

"I learnt a way to keep my dreams my own however, when it became clear that Loki's intentions were not always playful," Thor continued.

Tony gave Thor his full attention at that, "They'll stop?" he asked, trying to make it seem like it was something he definitely wanted to happen.

"No, unfortunately not," Thor replied, gravely, "Unless you are a magic wielder yourself, there is no way of preventing Loki's travels. However, they may give you the control, rather than he."

Tony nodded into his drink, eyes downcast as he took a couple of sips, not sure of his own thoughts.

"Tony, you need to listen to Thor," Steve insisted, "We don't know what will happen if this carries on."

"Jealous Rogers?" Tony quipped, his smirk met with a stern glare, "All right, all right! I get it. What do I need to do?"

That night, Tony sat on the edge of his bed, more reluctant than usual to actually go to sleep. Thor had spent an hour talking over the techniques he had once practiced himself to keep Loki at bay, but there was no way actually putting them to use before bed. There was only so much Tony could take before he wanted to regain his privacy, ushering the others out and relaxing onto the sofa with the remains of his drink in hand, thoughts caught in a blender of Thor's instructions and blurred memories of Loki's trips into his head.

The real Loki. Not just some figment of his own imagination. It was the real World Ruler Wanna-be that was in his head. The thought had generated a new question. Why?

It was a while, but sleep was going to take over. Laying down on top of the covers, staring up at the ceiling, Tony sighed, anxious about what he would find when he finally fell asleep.

_They were face to face this time, Loki's shadowed grin not inches from Tony's face, his body pressing Tony up against a wall, once again pinning his arms over his head with one hand while the other gently held his neck. He could feel his own pulse beat heavily against Loki's fingers. His breath smelt like cinnamon, hot and sweet as he brushed over his skin. _

"_Good evening, ," came the silky greeting, lidded green eyes fixed on Tony's lips, "Pleased to see me are we?" he asked, flicking his gaze further down momentarily before up to meet Tony's, sending reluctant shivers down his spine._

_With a force of will, Tony shut his eyes and focused on what Thor had said. Reminding himself that this was not reality. This was his mind. Tony's mind. Where Tony had full control. He just had to remind himself of the fact. That's what Thor had said. _

"_What's the matter Tony?" Loki asked, amused. _

_His voice made it a lot harder to concentrate on anything else but the sound, the smell, the warmth of the man pressed up against him. But Tony kept his eyes shut and did his best to tell himself nothing of this was real. _

_It took a moment but eventually, Tony felt the weight of Loki's body and the force holding his arms above his head weaken. He had gained control. Opening his eyes, Tony pulled his hands arms out of Loki's grip and slipped out from in front of him, taking a number of long steps backwards, putting distance between them, watching him warily the whole time. _

_The background shifted and they were in the main room of his penthouse, his comfort zone. _

_The muscles under Loki's eyes tensed, narrowing his eyes from below as he glanced around at the change before turning to look at Tony with a small, almost impressed smile, "I heard a saying on your world. That you can't teach old dogs new tricks. They stand corrected, Mr. Stark."_

_Tony pulled his shoulders back, watching as Loki turned fully to face him. This was the first time he'd actually been to take a look at the guy properly. He was dressed in a linen shirt and trousers that were baggy and ill-fitting on his slender frame and his face seemed a lot more gaunt and hollow than the last they had faced off, tired and haggard. Dark circles rimmed his eyes and his hair was a dishevelled mess, thick strands framing his face and covering small portions of the deathly pale skin on his forehead. Without the armour and the weaponry, he wasn't much more than a wiry, almost fragile man with a grin that seemed forced past the point of truth._

"_I do not need grand fineries to be powerful, Tony, you know that better than most," Loki commented then smirked at Tony's frown, "Ah, don't be so surprised at my reading. I am in your head am I not?"_

"_Yeah well, you don't get the run around anymore," Tony replied, with a sniff._

_Loki's smile fell slightly, "I can see that," he glanced around the created room once more, "Such a shame. You were just about to let yourself indulge."_

_Tony narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to protest but Loki cut him off with a raise of his hand._

"_In your head, remember," he told him inclining his head and regarding him like a child who should know better, "You can't hide anything from me."_

_Tony licked his lips, there were few who could best him in conversation, it just seemed unfair that the person he was talking to could read his every thought, "You want to explain what the hell you're doing here?"_

"_Why should I not be here?" Loki asked in response, raising his arms, "I have little else with which to occupy my time."_

"_Oh yeah, Thor mentioned that," at the name, Loki's grin faded slightly which only made the dark circles beneath his eyes more prominent, "Your little nap."_

"_So, Thor is on Midgard," Loki mused, tilting his head and looking to the floor as he seemed to file the information away. He gave a small chuckle then stopped and raised his chin like he had heard something and was listening intently. A moment passed and the grin returned to his face. He touched his fingers to his brow and presenting them forward in a salute, "Another time, Mr. Stark. It seems the waking world calls your presence."_


	3. Chapter 3

Reality washed over Tony, a lot gentler than he had become used to over the last few weeks. It was a refreshing change to awake to noon sunlight rather than an alarm clock flashing the early hours of a morning. The fragments of the dream lingered on his mind as he reluctantly opened his eyes. And they were annoyingly worrying.

It seemed Loki was not quite the being of mayhem and destruction that he remembered. Just as irritating as his realisation that he was not as reluctant to revisit his dreams as he had told himself, was the new found tang of concern he felt at seeing a man who had been so powerful and dangerous looking so much akin to someone on the brink of breaking. But he buried it quickly.

With a snort, Tony kicked the covers away and got up and dressed with a mind to find Thor. He couldn't help but be curious as to what had Loki, God of City Demolition, looking like he should barely be able to stay on his feet. And Thor would probably be the only one who could give him the answers he was looking for.

Thor was in Tony's kitchen, clutching a box of frosted flakes and lifting handfuls at a time into his mouth, apparently quite enjoying a newfound 'midgardian delicacy'. He seemed to find himself a new one with every visit. Tony greeted him with a tight smile, not even surprised that he'd managed to get into his penthouse and begin eating his food. JARVIS would have something to answer for once he found himself some time to pull computer system apart.

"Good morning, Man of Iron," Thor hailed with his traditional greeting as Tony came into the room, thankfully swallowing his mouthful before speaking. "How did you sleep?"

"Better," Tony replied, moving around Thor to try to get to his coffee machine, trying to maintain an air of casual normalcy. He wasn't doing a brilliant job, eyes down cast, words muttered, but luckily Thor was never one for noticing the little things.

"I am glad to hear it," Thor nodded to himself, satisfied. "I had feared that perhaps my methods had not worked for you."

"Yeah, well worry no more, big fella," Tony told him, watching as black coffee filled his cup, wondering how exactly he was supposed to phrase his question in a way that hid that note of apprehension. "Full control upstairs."

Thor nodded again, gaze to the floor, not as joyful as Tony had assumed he would have been. The reason became clear with his next question. "How is he?" he asked, tentatively, as though it was a question he feared the answer of.

Tony blinked and glanced at him before reaching out to take his coffee from the machine. Thor's concern for Loki had caught him more off guard than it should have done. Of course he was going to care, Thor still thought of Loki as his brother after all.

"How is he?" he echoed, frowning, finding himself delaying his own true evaluation for as long as possible. "How should I know, he's still in Narnia."

"Narnia?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Asgard."

"Physically, yes," Thor told him, laying the frosted flakes box to one side, his appetite apparently having left him. "However, Loki became lost to us not long after our return. Like I told you, the force of the punishment he was facing pushed him to withdraw into his mind and take solace in whatever realms he finds there. His body continues to endure, living and breathing, but he does not speak nor move nor acknowledge that anything around him is there. It is as though he were sleeping, but there is nothing we can do to wake him."

The note of concern Tony had was not abated by the thought of Loki lying in a coma in a dungeon somewhere. He took a sip of his coffee, leaning on the counter opposite Thor, gaze also downcast, before sniffing, forcing any thoughts of sympathy to one side. The guy had tried to take over the world for Christ's sake, he reminded himself loudly. "Yeah, well, can't do the time, don't do the crime, that's what I say," he muttered half-heartedly into his mug.

"He does deserve to pay dearly for what he has done," Thor agreed. "Perhaps this is a sentiment I alone harbour but I wish that I would be able to contact him. I would like to ensure he is not fading entirely."

Tony watched Thor's sullen expression. "Well he's certainly not doing that," he assured him, flashing back the power with which Loki had handled him before he had regained control.

At that Thor lifted his head with a hesitant smile, "That is good to hear."

Tony's day had only gone downhill from there.

It had all kicked off with a call from Pepper, something he had not expected since their near apocalyptic argument not long after the whole Loki fiasco started. There was only so much she could cope with apparently, storming out and quitting in a fashion that had made it quite clear she wasn't for returning.

The call was an awkward request for a reference for a new job. Tony had agreed, reluctantly, and only after Steve had walked in on the conversation and agreed for him.

Almost as soon as he had slammed the phone down, he slunk away into one of the lower labs, ignoring the calls of Steve and whoever else happened to cross his path and began to take out his frustration with the use of volatile and explosive chemical mixtures. This, coupled with the stress of everything else that seemed to be piling up, lead to a slight miscalculation and the destruction of one the more expensive pieces of equipment, as well as the loss of one eyebrow. Said explosion resulted in a stern scolding from Steve as well as a sad, accepting sigh from Bruce who had apparently planned to use that machinery for his research.

Tony wasn't sure which was worse.

After that the company joined him for the rest of the day. They did not trust him enough to leave him alone again. Both Steve and Bruce (who apparently had been fully updated on his recent sleep troubles) hounded him for the next hour as Tony patched up the few minor burns he had sustained, wanting to know how he was, every gruesome detail they could eek out of him.

Tony told them over and over again that he was coping and that he didn't need their mothering. He, of course, left out the parts about how he wasn't feeling nearly as bad about the nocturnal visits as the two on his back made him feel like he should. He wouldn't be able to tell anyone that. Tolerating dreams involving a crazed Asgardian alien wasn't going to be met well. Enjoying them was barely something he was going to admit to himself, let alone anyone else.

Once Tony had finally gotten rid of his new substitute parents through the use of thinly veiled threats, he officially locked down his penthouse, deciding it was probably the only way to get any form of privacy. The rest of the evening was spent surrounding himself with music loud enough to drown out the sound of his phone and probably cause some significant damage to his hearing, and the rest of that bottle of brandy he'd started the day before.

_It was a bed this time. The same one Tony had collapsed, probably drunkenly, into what felt like moments before. Loki was straddling him, gazing down in the low light, leaning on his hands that were pressed into the pillows on either side of Tony's head. Both were naked from the waist up. Loki's torso was slim and defined, resembling a lithe marathon runner, betraying none of the strength he had demonstrated both in the dream world and reality. Just by looking at him, you wouldn't know that he could throw a full grown man out of a window. _

"_You've been drinking," Loki told him after a moment, a playful smirk on his face. "You're thoughts are even more out of control than usual."_

_Tony glowered and shifted under Loki's weight. "Stay out of my thoughts!" he hissed._

"_Why would I do that when I like what I find?" he ran his tongue across his bottom lip and held it gently between his teeth, regarding Tony hungrily. "You have some _dark_ fantasies in you."_

"_Get the hell off me!" Tony yelled. _

_Loki gazed intently at his captive, unaffected by Tony's anger. After a moment he seemed to come to some sort of conclusion. "You're stressed," he said, conversationally, running a hand down Tony's torso, gaze following it._

_Tony struggled futilely. "Can't say you're helping," he grunted, settling for glowering fiercely up at him since his attempts at escape weren't going to work._

_Loki gave a knowing grin. Tony couldn't decide whether it was his imagination or not but he seemed even more exhausted than the previous evening. But he decided he didn't care. He wanted out._

_With a force of will, Tony closed his eyes and began to assert his reality. To wrench control from Loki like he had before._

"_Oh Tony, must you?" Loki asked with the tone of an exasperated parent, before lowering his head to whisper. "I have only ever offered what you dare not ask for, my pet."_

_At that Tony snapped his eyes open as his frustration snapped his concentration. "I am not your pet," he spat, venomously, head lifting off the bed a little with the force of his words._

_But Loki was entirely unfazed, he simply tilted his head thoughtfully. Suddenly, in the illogical fluidity only possible in dreams, their places were switched. Tony was looking down over the topless god. _

_Loki smirked as he reached up and stroked a thumb across the bald patch where Tony was now missing an eyebrow. "You would rather I was yours?"_

_Tony blinked in surprise. This was a first. Since these dreams had begun, Loki had always been dominant, controlling him using his strength and silver tongue for more than words. But not this time. Tony could get up and walk away if he wanted to. Just leave, end the dreams obvious direction like he had been telling himself he wanted to all this time. Up until now, Tony had told himself that this was not what he wanted, that he wanted them to end, for Loki to leave him the hell alone so he could get his head back to himself._

_But now that the choice was his, he found himself not wanting to turn away. _

_Loki was beneath him. Surprisingly soft hands drifted across his arms and sides, his lidded green eyes were ticking over his bare torso, respectfully but with desire. There was a soft voice in the back of his mind that was whispering suspicions into his mind, but it was brushed aside before it was even acknowledged. It sent his heart racing. There was no denying how he really felt now. _

"_This is your mind, Tony," Loki whispered softly, propping himself up on one elbow, bringing their faces closer, close enough for Tony to feel his warm breath on his jaw. "There is no one here to pretend for."_

_Tony hadn't moved his head away as he felt he should have, gaze ticking down to Loki's partially parted lips. Any thought of Thor's instruction was gone, there was no need for it now. Loki had given up his control and Tony was free to do whatever he wanted. No nagging voices or embodied conscience in a tight blue leotard to try to tell him what to do._

_If he could not have what he wanted in his dreams, then what had his life become? _

_Loki's grin grew; just as in tune Tony's thought process as he was._

"_You killed hundreds of people," Tony murmured quietly, his conscience's continued, vain bid. He was already closing the gap between them._

"_You tried to kill me many a time," Loki returned, easily._

"_You started it."_

_Loki just smiled that transfixing smile and slid a hand around the back of Tony's neck, gently easing him closer. "That was just a bit of fun."_

_Tony hummed, allowing Loki's hand to guide him. "For the record, not much fun."_

_Loki licked his lips but didn't get a chance to reply as Tony kissed him eagerly, pressing him back down onto the bed, relishing the taste of his tongue, the rush of his skin against his own, the coarseness of this hair as he threaded his hands through it, tugging roughly. _

_Admitting to himself he enjoyed his dreams was an excellent idea, was the last coherent thought that crossed his mind before thinking became entirely unnecessary._


	4. Chapter 4

"You're worried about the guy?" Bruce asked he typed some figures into the interface he was using.

Tony had always found Bruce to be an easy person to talk to. The constantly distracted manner the guy had always made Tony feel like his problems were nothing to worry about. It let him talk through them, all the way through them, without being interrupted some panicked comment like he might from Captain Therapist.

The events of last night had been playing on his mind all day. Steve was right out of the question and talking to Thor about the bedroom experiences with his brother just felt weird. The calm scientist had been easily found, in the same lab that Tony had nearly destroyed the previous day, doing his best to carry out his work around the pieces of debris and melted metal work that was littering the place. Bruce listened quietly as Tony gave him a quick run through of the experience of the previous evening. Leaving out some of the more intimate details of course. No need to go into those with anyone.

"Not worried, per se," Tony replied, frowning at the remains of the piece of machinery that he'd broken, hoping to keep himself occupied. He often found he could work things out easier while focusing on something else entirely. "Call it curiosity. I mean this is Loki we're talking about. And he just gives up? That's not normal."

Bruce was silent as he pushed his glasses back up his nose and fiddled with some of the graphs on his screen, thinking. "Well it might not have been entirely by choice."

Tony stopped was he was doing and frowned across the lab at Bruce, who didn't notice for a while until he lifted his gaze for the first time and took the confusion as his cue to explain.

"Thor said he's in a coma-like thing right? Now, I don't know exactly how his might work, but it's lasted what? Three weeks now at least? Judging by Thor's appetite, even gods have to eat," a computer dinged, drawing Bruce's attention away as he finished with, "Maybe he just doesn't have the energy."

Tony looked back to his broken equipment, thoughts cast back over the memories of the state that Loki seemed to be in, plus the credibility of what Bruce was saying. It would make sense. Loki wasn't exactly in tip top condition when he left Earth. Coupled with whatever the Asgardians called 'punishment', it wouldn't be an implausible explanation.

After a second, he realised he had been staring pensively at the floor and gave a quiet snort, refusing to acknowledge that he was feeling any kind of sympathy as he focused his attention on fixing his machine.

"You are worried about him aren't you?" Bruce asked.

Tony gave an exasperated sigh and raised an eyebrow at Bruce who was watching him carefully. "Don't go Rogers on me, Banner," he pleaded.

Bruce just shrugged and went back to his work. "It was just a question. Do you know what he's up to yet?"

Tony blinked. "Pardon me?"

"Do you know what he's doing?" Bruce clarified. "You said it yourself, this is Loki. There's going to be some kind of ulterior motive."

"Yeah, well, if he has, he hasn't shared," Tony replied, beginning to mentally put together an repair strategy for his equipment, if only to stop himself thinking too much about how much he'd probably already given Loki without even thinking about it. The guy was in his head for Christ's sake, Tony only had to briefly think of something and it was Loki's.

"Just be careful Tony," Bruce finished with a small, genuine smile.

Tony pressed his lips together in a thin, humourless line and silence fell in the lab, broken only by computerised voices and the sound of metal on metal as Tony began to slowly bring the equipment back to working condition.

He gave up after about an hour; he found himself far too distracted by the brand new realisation that he could have already effectively spilled every secret about the Avengers, Stark Industries, the Earth itself to the biggest threat it had faced so far. Suddenly, admitting that he might enjoy his dreams was officially knocked from truth.

He left Bruce to his work, promising to return and fix the machine as soon as he could, blaming a lack of tools and time. Both of which Bruce clearly knew were lies but said nothing of it.

Almost everyone that came across him as he slunk through the corridors, head down and hands stuffed into his pockets, knew better than to stop and chat. He was thankfully left to his own devices for at least an hour before he crossed paths with the one person who was not too great at subtlety. Thor grinned as he caught sight of Tony walking towards him and threw his arms out to his sides. Tony didn't have to look up or wait for him to speak to recognise the sound of his footsteps; he simply stopped where he was and waited for Thor to come to a stop, praying to whatever gods apart from those present that he didn't try to hug him.

They were answered as Thor seemed to catch on to his mood.

"Tony," he greeted, frowning, "What has you so low?"

"Nothing, nothing," Tony looked up, grinning his easy, false smile. "Don't you worry yourself big boy. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course!"

Tony licked his lips and shuffled slightly, already a little uneasy about the possible answer. "These little dream trips your brother is a fan of, just how much of my head can he see?"

Thor paused and thought about his answer before replying, "During his visits to my dreams when we were children, he would often leave with knowledge of secrets that I had not told him verbally. I do not know the extent of his vision, however."

"So, theoretically, he could be anywhere from a brand new knowledge of high level weapons technology, to the deepest secrets of the Earth's most recent defences?" Tony paused to purse his lips and look away. So he could have single-handedly handed over everything Loki might need to comeback bigger and better. All because Tony had found himself a lulled into a false sense of security. Sex had always been a blind spot. "Wonderful."

Thor frowned, sensing the effect of his reply. "I doubt that knowledge would interest him, Tony. Human weaponry is rudimentary and weak compared to the kind of power that Loki could easily get hold of," Tony gave an offended frown. His weapons were _not_ rudimentary. "Further to that, there are others with knowledge of more use to Loki were he planning to once again attempt to take the Earth for his own. Something which I highly doubt he will do."

Tony narrowed his eyes. Thor made sense. Surely the one Loki would go for was Fury, the head of the Avengers, with all the knowledge that he kept from those he commanded. As far as he knew, the only one Loki had visited was Tony. So why? If his knowledge was rudimentary as Thor said. He would have had something to say about that were he not so distracted.

Tony snorted to himself and slipped past Thor. There were few times he regretted being Tony Stark. And this was definitely one of them.

_That night was another new experience. When the dream took him, Tony expected to once again have to force Loki off with the force of his own mind, since he was most definitely not in the mood for anything else with his sudden questioning of Loki's true motives. But it seemed like he was in control from the beginning. The dream started just like any other might, with no real beginning, simply an inexplicable appearance of Tony's own penthouse living room lit by a false, overly orange twilight. _

_Tony frowned to himself and turned twice on the spot, urgently, worried that perhaps Loki was about to jump him from behind. However, on the second turn he spotted Loki leant against the wall, watching him with intense, searching eyes. He was still dressed in the same shirt and trousers, looking almost exactly the same as the last time Tony was able to actually look at him, complete with sunken cheeks and bags under his eyes. Though he only now noticed that he was barefoot. _

"_Not even going to bother this time?" Tony asked with sarcasm he hoped would mask the small reminder of what Bruce had said earlier. He was getting tired. _

"_You must really try to relax," Loki told him, earnestly. If he had noticed the concern flickering across Tony's mind, he didn't react to it. "It will do you harm in time."_

"_And you care about that do you?" Tony replied scathingly._

_Loki tilted his head with a chastising smirk. "Where would I spend my nights if you were to no longer sleep? Come, tell me what it is that has you so overwrought."_

_Tony raised an eyebrow. "You want to play therapy? Why the hell would I talk to you?"_

"_Because you know__I am the only one who can answer the questions that are hounding your dreams," Loki answered, a victorious edge to his voice. _

_Tony glowered and swallowed back his initial biting remark, well aware of the heavy advantage Loki had over him in a debate. He remained silent for a moment, doing his best to school his thoughts, making an effort to push away to more dangerous secrets-_

_Loki inhaled through his teeth, making a loud hissing noise that drew Tony's attention._

"_What?" _

"_By trying to ignore the knowledge you deem to be a danger, you think of it," Loki explained, almost wincing as he spoke, "And by thinking of them. You reveal them to me. Do you wish to become a traitor Tony Stark?"_

"_You want to explain how this works then?" Tony snapped, gesturing to the god in his mind violently. "And while you're at it, tell me why the hell you're here."_

_The Asgardian smiled a little wider. "That is why you are so stressed? You believe that I, whilst lying beaten and bleeding in a dungeon on Asgard, came to scour your mind for the inner workings of your organisation?" he chuckled at the prospect. "Perhaps in my new broken state I would be able to use the plethora of knowledge I find to perhaps take on the Avengers once again, on my own, with no army and no allies, and win. Yes. That was my mistake previously. With your mind I could try once more and succeed!"_

_Tony gave him a flat look. "You gonna answer my questions Sparky?"_

_Loki had been grinning and it didn't fade as he spoke. "I can enter the dreams you create as an image of myself, as you create an image of yourself, and work in tune with your mind, manipulating it if I wish or, as is easier, simply existing and allowing your mind to do as it will. If your thoughts stray away from the current then, yes, I can see your secrets, but only if you see them. Do you understand? That is as simply as I can explain it," he finished with a shallow shrug. _

"_Then why the hell are you here if you're not snooping about my head?" _

_Loki looked away at that, glancing around at Tony's penthouse as the humour dwindled from his features. It was an old memory, meaning that Tony was entirely in control. Loki wouldn't have seen it like this. There was a note of curiosity in his glances._

"_Would you believe that I sought an escape?" Loki replied quietly a second later, no hint of deception or sarcasm in his voice. _

_Tony frowned at that. It caught him so off guard the only comment he could find was a soft, "Why me?" _

"_Well, I was not about to venture into the mind of the good Captain," the Asgardian responded, once again breaking eye contact. He had not moved during their entire conversation. "Your assassin friends would unlikely be entirely welcoming. And quite frankly I fear for the mind of the Man Holding Back the Monster. If my memory serves me correctly, you did not include yourself on the list of those I had 'pissed off'. Naturally, I had few options."_

"_What about your brother?" _

_At the mention of Thor, a look of annoyance flickered across his face before it was gone. "He lost my interest a while ago."_

"_And I gained it?" _

"_You could say that," Loki agreed, coming out of his lean for the first time, standing at ease. "Now, do you trust that my being here is not going to bring about the end of your world?"_

_Tony gave him a sceptical glare but didn't back away as he began to cautiously approach, "Trust is a strong word."_

"_Then perhaps faith?" Loki ventured, closing the gap between them in long, cautious strides. _

_Tony pulled a face a shook his head. "Let's just leave trust issues alone. I get enough of that when I'm awake."_

_Loki chuckled, now in the familiar territory of Tony's personal space, one hand sliding possessively up his arm. "Then shall we agree not to trust each other at all? It seems far less complicated that way."_

_Tony pretended to think for a moment as he slowly eased up onto the balls of his feet, closing the final gap between them. "Agreed," he whispered._

_Loki smirked, "Good night Tony."_

Tony awoke with a frustrated snort, blinked a few times and dragged himself to the shower with a frustrated grumble of, 'Fucking cocktease.'


End file.
